Folding crate



Jan. 5, 1943. A. KAMPER' 2,307,683

FOLDING CRATE Filed Oct. 26, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented Jan. 5, 1943 UNITED STTES NT OFFICE FOLDING CRATE Application October 26, 1939, Serial No. 301,412 In Great Britain November 2, 1938 1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of boxes and crates of the type wherein a folding blank is made in the flat, which is adapted to fold up to form the front and back of the box, the bottom and, preferably, the lid, the folding blank having fixed to it, along its opposite long edges, metal binding strips comprising a body portion and a flange portion at right angles to the body portion, the body portion of the strip being attached to the panels of ply wood or other material of which the folding blank is made and the flange portion of the strip being spaced from the edges of the blank so that continuous channels are formed at each side of the blank into which fit the borders of the end members of the box when the blank is folded up into box form.

'therto in boxes of this kind the metal binding strips have been attached to the material of the folding blank by means of teeth, integral with. the metal strips, and forced into and clinched over onto the said material. The teeth have sometimes been struck up from out of the body portion of the binding strip and sometimes been formed on the edge of the body portion.

According to the present invention in order to form the channels along the edges of the blank the body portions of metal binding strips of substantially rectangular section are wire stitched onto the material of the blank, the wire stitches or staples being driven through the metal of the strips, and through the material of the blank and clinched over upon the latter.

It has previously been proposed in one form of folding box blank to attach metal binding trips to the edges of the blank by wire stitching but the metal strips were not so attached or formed as to provide channels for the reception of the end members of the box, but the end pieces of the box were arranged to abut edgewise upon the borders of the folding blank, i. e. to lie within the blank when folded up.

It has been found to be of advantage in producing a really strong box blank, that the wire stitches or staples used should not be pointed but cut on square, so that a punching or shearing action takes place upon the metal strip and the body of the blank when the stitches are driven in. There is then much less risk of the blank, if made of wood for example, being split where the stitches pass through.

The wire stitching according to the present invention is preferably carried out with a stitching head operating with a continuous steel wire from which lengths are cut off as required for each stitching operation.

Among the advantages afforded by the at tachment of the metal strips by stitching as compared with the use of toothed metal strips are the than with teeth. The tooth cutting mechanism is an expensive item.

2. The apparatus for pressing in a row of teeth, and clinching over the points, is more cumbersome than the stitching head for driving in the staples.

3. The ply wood (if that is used) of the panels is much less weakened by the stitching operation than by driving in the teeth.

4. The body portion of the metal strip is less weakened by the stitching operation than by cutting out teeth from the body portion. It is on this body portion that the binding strength of the metal strip depends, as the flange portion is interrupted at intervals by mitre cuts to allow the blank to be folded.

5. The stitching produces a stronger and more rigid union of the panels and the strips than is obtainable with toothed strips and the resulting box is less subject to wracking or wringing, that is to temporary or permanent deformation from the strictly rectangular shape.

6. l/Vhere toothed strips are employed the metal strip must be of such nature and of such gauge that the teeth have on the one hand the necessary rigidity to pierce the panels and on the other hand the necessary ductility or pliability to be struck up and clinched over without breaking. The strip which! satisfies these requirements of the teeth may often not be the strip which just satisfies the requirements of the box itself, which is to be bound with the strip and is required to carry safely a particular ascertained load. The stitching method of attachment enables a binding strip to be selected independently of the requirements of any teeth. The staples or stitches are of steel wire.

According to a further feature of the present invention, the folding blank is furnished with one, two or more reinforcing metal strips or straps, lying intermediate the angle section edge binding metal strips above referred to, and wire stitched onto the folding blank while in the flat, the metal strap being stitched to the front, bottom and. rear panels, but not necessarily to the top panel.

. If the reinforcing strap is stitched near the edges of the front, bottom and back panels, the resistance of the box to wracking or wringing is noticeably strengthened.

Another advantage of an intermediate reinforcing strap stitched to the blank as above described is that it suspends and supports the bottom of the box during packingl Serious inconvenience may arise if a box of the type in question, but without a reinforcing strap, is packed with heavy, e. g. metal goods and is moved before the usual metal band is tensioned round it, or in the case of a light duty crate, which is often made of thin boards of relatively great length.

The box made according to the present invention is greatly strengthened if the end members of the box have secured to them. sections of strip metal extending as lugs about the middle of each side, which lugs are adapted to pass through corresponding slots cut in the edge binding strips of, the folding blank and to be afterwards bent over thereon. These strip metal lugs may also with advantage be fastened to the end members by wire stitching. They serve to hold the binding strips against buckling and against being forced away from one another and obviate entirely the danger of the borders of the end panels escaping from the channels in which they are housed. The slots are made in the body portion of the edge binding strip, close to the flange.

A box for heavy duty made in accordance with the present invention is illustrated in Figs. 1-6 of the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the box closed and fastened.

Fig. 2 is a perspective partial view of the box with the lid open.

Fig. 3 is a detail view showing a corner of the closed box.

Fig. 4 is a, plan view of the folding blank in the flat.

Fig. 5 is a partial section on the line V-V of Fi 1 and a Fig. 6 shows an end panel with the securing lugs attached by wire stitching.

In the arrangement illustrated in Figs. 1-6, four panels of ply wood, A, B, C, D, are united to form the blank by means of edge binding strips 2 of rectangular section, in the flanges of which, as can be seen clearly in Figs. 1 and 2, are the usual mitre cuts to allow the blank to be folded. The binding strips are attached to the panels by means of the wire stitches 3 and the flange is disposed in known manner spaced from the edges of the panels A, B, C, D, to form channels for the reception of the borders of the end panel, as can be seen clearly in Fig. 5.

A reinforcing strip 4 intermediate the edge binding strips is secured to the panels B, C, D, by wire stitching, but is not stitched to the panel A which forms the lid of the box.

The edge binding strips are provided with fastening means on opposite ends consisting of tongues 9 and corresponding grooves, in known manner. In Fig. 1 the reinforcing strip 4 is shown tensioned over the lid of the box and secured in well known manner as by the seal 5.

In Figs. 1, 2 and 5 the end panels are shown provided with lugs I which are attached to the panels by means of integral teeth driven into and clenched over the panels, but in Fig. 6 the lugs 1 are shown attached to the end panel by means of wire stitching. The lugs 1 pass through slots 8 in the edge binding strips and are bent over onto the flanges of the edge binding strips as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 5.

If desired one or both portions of the metal binding strips may be longitudinally ribbed to stiffen them.

A light duty crate in accordance with the present invention is illustrated in Figs. 7-9 of the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. '7 is a plan View of the folding blank of a crate in the flat, Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the assembled crate, partly broken and to show a central partition in position, and Fig. 9 is a view of the said partition detached.

The crate here illustrated, which may be used for example for fruit shipments, comprises a blank resembling that shown in Fig. 4, except that the top, sides and bottom are each made up of two spaced rectangles A, A, B, B, etc. of board, which provide ventilating slots in the sides, top and bottom of the crate.

In order to ensure that ventilation is still provided when these crates are piled, fillets or battens Ill are fixed across the ends of the top of the crate, to hold superposed crates away from one another.

In a light duty crate of this type it is often desirable to have a central partition, set transverse the length of the crate, which also reinforces the sides, top and bottom, and in the accompanying drawings this partition is indicated in position, at H, in Fig. 8. It is provided with metal plates I 2, which protrude as lugs from the middle of each side, and are adapted to pass through the ventilation spaces in the sides, top and bottom, and to bend over and round the reinforcing strip 4.

One example of the improved crate, suitable for packing oranges, is approximately 2 feet long and 1 foot wide by 1 foot deep. The top, sides, and bottom are of inch board, while the partition and the ends are inch thick. The fillets or battens along the ends of the lid are inch deep.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to claim as new is:

A box comprising a folding blank made up of a plurality of panels adapted to form the sides, bottom, and top of a box, the adjacent panels being spaced from one another to provide ventilating openings in the sides thereof, angle-sectional metal strips secured to opposite edges of the blank for binding and hinging the panels together, each of said strips having a body portion secured to the end edges of said panels and a flange portion extending substantially at right angles to the body portion, the flanged portions being spaced from the end faces of the panels to provide channels, end members adapted to form the two ends of the box and to extend within said channels when the box is set up, a metal reinforcing strap extending around the box between the end strips, a partition within the box and extending transversely of the length thereof, said partition being substantially in alignment with said strap, and deformable plates extending through said openings for maintaining the partition in a fixed position, each of said plates having an end portion secured to one side of the partition and an intermediate portion overlapping the strap and the free end portion bent beneath said strap, said partition and strap coacting with the end strips to strengthen and reinforce the sides, bottom, and top of the box.

ANDREW MATHIS KAMPER. 

